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Is it time to stop paying £££s millions to the French?

(250 Posts)
FriedGreenTomatoes2 Sun 13-Apr-25 09:24:29

Over 600 migrants (all men) arrived just yesterday! All will be needing beds, food, clothing. Some will need doctors and dentists.

If we stopped paying the French (they’re coming every day anyway) that money could go some way to mitigating this pressure on our taxpayer money, don’t you think?

We don’t (yet) have a credible deterrent. Tweaking around the edges won’t cut it now. Still they come, hundreds every day. I don’t care what the numbers are in Europe. We are an island surrounded by water. Surely that ought to be made to work in our favour … somehow?

“Smash the Gangs” is just a nonsense. All experts agree. It’s a multi-BILLION pound business now. Cut one route and another easily takes its place, apparently.

vegansrock Sat 19-Apr-25 17:15:05

No one checks up on visas in the U.K., that’s why the visa racket is much more significant in terms of numbers than boat people. We all know the Home office is not fit for purpose , so run down over years.

Allira Sat 19-Apr-25 13:52:16

Same with my nephew. He went out to work for a year and loved it but they were soon in touch to say “time to go home”.

My DD was willing to sponsor her but no, she had to leave.

Primrose53 Sat 19-Apr-25 11:41:24

Allira

I do know, nanna8. Someone we know of, who was there legally but on a working visa, has had to leave when her visa expired because she did no have the skills or qualifications required by the Australian Government, despite the fact that she is a very hard worker. She had entered quite legally.

Same with my nephew. He went out to work for a year and loved it but they were soon in touch to say “time to go home”.

It’s the same in most countries - we are just too soft.
My friend from Tanzania met her future British husband when he was working out there. Just before his visa or permit ran out they were knocking on his door.

My friend’s daughter went on holiday to Spain a few years ago, ran out of money and started working giving out flyers but the Police put her on the next flight back to England and her mother had to collect her from an airport far from home.

Allira Sat 19-Apr-25 11:33:03

I know it’s not easy. My DD married an Australian, he had to sponsor her before she could live there and get her citizenship, then her residency.

Yes, you have to be sponsored to get citizenship.
For permanent residency, a sponsor is not always required.

Calendargirl Sat 19-Apr-25 11:23:58

But what I meant Allira is they know what skills they want, and that way they, I assume, get the right people for the jobs they need.

I know it’s not easy. My DD married an Australian, he had to sponsor her before she could live there and get her citizenship, then her residency.

She is an NNEB nursery nurse, but her qualification is not recognised there. She works for an agency looking after dementia people in their homes.

No one wants that type of work, same as here.

Allira Sat 19-Apr-25 10:38:22

Harsh but fair?
Sounds sensible to me.

Australia's loss in our opinion.

Allira Sat 19-Apr-25 10:37:01

Calendargirl

Allira

I do know, nanna8. Someone we know of, who was there legally but on a working visa, has had to leave when her visa expired because she did no have the skills or qualifications required by the Australian Government, despite the fact that she is a very hard worker. She had entered quite legally.

Harsh but fair?

Sounds sensible to me.

Well, perhaps if they'd interviewed her employer and found out what an asset she would have been to Australia they might have had a better idea and extended her visa. Just because she did not have a degree or qualification on the list of specified subjects does not mean she was free loading and not working hard.

Iam64 Sat 19-Apr-25 10:05:44

That’s a good point nanna8 about the landscape in Australia. Europe including the uk is much easier to get into and travel through

Calendargirl Sat 19-Apr-25 10:05:07

Allira

I do know, nanna8. Someone we know of, who was there legally but on a working visa, has had to leave when her visa expired because she did no have the skills or qualifications required by the Australian Government, despite the fact that she is a very hard worker. She had entered quite legally.

Harsh but fair?

Sounds sensible to me.

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Sat 19-Apr-25 09:23:38

Apparently 2,000 more arrived by rubber boats this week alone … and it’s not even summer yet. Sadly too one person died yesterday morning, taken ashore by BF at 7am. The arrivals this week are a record high.

Allira Fri 18-Apr-25 12:58:43

I do know, nanna8. Someone we know of, who was there legally but on a working visa, has had to leave when her visa expired because she did no have the skills or qualifications required by the Australian Government, despite the fact that she is a very hard worker. She had entered quite legally.

nanna8 Fri 18-Apr-25 05:08:16

I remember one of our PMs saying that no one who came here ‘illegally’- his words, not mine, would ever be allowed to settle in Australia. He went on to say that we choose who comes here. We don’t get that many coming by boats now - North Australia is very inhospitable, hot ,dry and nothing to eat or drink if you land somewhere in the bush.

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Wed 16-Apr-25 09:44:06

I’ve opened a thread on Sudan now.

escaped Wed 16-Apr-25 09:35:44

westendgirl

I feel very sad by the bitter comment about Sudan.
Surely it is time that that area was helped. For such a long time there have been pictures on tv about the dreadful famine there and pictures again of little children with all the signs of starvation.

Just tos say, France has provided €55 million in aid to meet the humanitarian needs of the people in Sudan. They are calling for a ceasefire.

GrannyGravy13 Wed 16-Apr-25 09:26:33

FriedGreenTomatoes2

With respect, I think the situation in Sudan deserves its own thread.

Totally agree, I shouldn’t have responded.

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Wed 16-Apr-25 09:24:49

With respect, I think the situation in Sudan deserves its own thread.

glasshalffullagain Wed 16-Apr-25 09:03:00

Perhaps not much "can be done". But if we have lost any shred of compassion and care only for "our own" then we might as well give up.

GrannyGravy13 Wed 16-Apr-25 08:58:48

westendgirl

I feel very sad by the bitter comment about Sudan.
Surely it is time that that area was helped. For such a long time there have been pictures on tv about the dreadful famine there and pictures again of little children with all the signs of starvation.

Sudan is in receipt of aid, what else can be done other than committing U.K. troops and thereby ending up in what is basically a turf war between different factions.

vegansrock Wed 16-Apr-25 08:56:45

People who want to end migration should be pleased that poorer countries are being helped - fewer young people would feel the need to leave those countries if conditions there improve.

FriedGreenTomatoes2 Wed 16-Apr-25 08:55:11

Not Rwanda again that’s a dead duck in the water now.
But somewhere??

We need a deterrent.

westendgirl Wed 16-Apr-25 08:52:10

I feel very sad by the bitter comment about Sudan.
Surely it is time that that area was helped. For such a long time there have been pictures on tv about the dreadful famine there and pictures again of little children with all the signs of starvation.

glasshalffullagain Wed 16-Apr-25 08:12:38

Primrose53

Casdon

It’s the parliamentary recess for Easter Primrose53?

But they’ve got time to send millions to Sudan.

God, what an appalling mentality.

David49 Wed 16-Apr-25 06:13:16

nanna8

Do you think it is some sort of reparations for past wrongs and colonialism that makes the UK so welcoming to the boat people in a way that other nations don’t ? Some sort of collective guilt? In which case they should look carefully at who is coming and whether they do come from former colonies or are just freeloaders. It would rule out most Europeans for a start.

No it’s because all the other countries they have travelled through ignore them and just move them on if there are problems, we feed and house them in hotels, probably the best conditions they have ever experienced, whether they are Assylum seekers or not. We are a soft touch.

Nothing to do with former colonialism

vegansrock Wed 16-Apr-25 05:37:54

While people are getting their knickers in a twist over people in rubber boats do people care that the post Brexit so called “take control of our borders”( thank you B Johnson) has led to the issuing of over 1 million visas to workers in the care sector, construction, agriculture, health service etc etc many of whom also bring dependents - so legal immigration has increased incredibly. Many of these of course are dodgy visas issued to people who don’t eventually work in those sectors at all. This is far more of a racket than the small boat people.

Shinamae Wed 16-Apr-25 01:47:35

So our country is crumbling around their ears, but still they take their Easter break,bravo chaps and choppesses..we are so lucky to have you! 😂😭